Death and Glory

intro

"Fuck this heat," complained Luscinia Cossus as she stood in the sweltering gleam of the mid-summer sun.

"From the vocabulary, you've picked up over the years one would think that you were raised in the streets, I blame your uncles for this," said her mother Hilaria giving her daughter a frown as she fanned herself "though I must say I would be pleased with a bit of rain."

"It will rain when the gods will it and in the meantime, we must make do with the waters from the aqueduct," said Matriarch Althea as she entered the room followed by two of her servants, Pomona and Breanna who were slaves brought back as children from far off places in the world, with Pomona coming from the desert kingdom of Heru and Breanna from one of the various tribes of the island kingdom of Eda.

At her mother-in-law's words, Hilaria rolled her eyes before replying.

"Then let us pray that they move to action before the plebs and slaves move for our throats, shall we?"

Luscinia scoffed.

"As if they need another reason to revolt."

Her words were true for the Republic was in a precarious state, with failing crops, a growing divide between the classes, jobs being outsourced to foreign slave labor, conflicts with barbarian tribes in the north, and political corruption on the rise it was not a matter of when there would be a revolt but where.

"Well, I for one have no fear of danger, for with men like your uncle Antonius at the helm of our armies we can not fail," said the Matriarch with an air of certainty and pride in her son's status and capabilities.

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To the north of the borders of the Republic of Remus.

Antonius Cossus found himself and his men trekking through the perils of an unforgiving swamp as they did their best to track down a group of marauding raiders who had sacked five villages in the past week.

"They have been watching us for the past hour, ever since we entered this gods-forsaken swamp," whispered Commander Vesper Lactuca as the forces of he and Antonius continued their march.

The older general gave no sign that disclosed that he and his men were aware of the threat that lurked about them in the trees and other dark places of their surroundings.

"There is a clearing up ahead where the swamp ends give word to the men that once we reach it I want them to close ranks and prepare for battle."

At Antonius's orders, Vesper nodded before slowly and carefully riding back through the ranks to spread the word.

In the forces of Remus, there was a legion of five thousand and five hundred men, consisting of five thousand swordsmen, two hundred archers, and three hundred Calvary.

The forces of their enemies though unknown to them at the time was a force of six thousand warriors from the various barbaric tribes of the north, consisting of units of axemen, archers, swordsmen, and spearmen.

At the signal, the forces of Remus charged at full speed toward the swamps exit under a hail of arrows released by the barbarians' archers as their ruse of obliviousness came to an end.

Upon breaking the tree line Antonius and Vesper ordered their men to close ranks and assume their formations.

"Do not fire until you have a clear shot, we must reserve our arrows!" Vesper commanded the archers as they lined up and took aim waiting for the inevitable moment of attack.

And then like demons and beasts from hell, the horde of savages poured from the swamp hungry for blood and battle, frightening the younger recruits of the Remian forces.

"Hold your ground, you are men of Remus and we do not scatter like frightened birds!" Shouted Antonius as he pulled his sword.

"Show them no mercy, for they will show you none."

And for a moment it was as if the world stood still before the warriors of the north fell upon the forces of Remus and the two armies clashed in brutal combat.